Flyers

dwbrooks

I know this might belong in the business forum but I was hoping to get some input for a flyer for a painting business specifically.

Other than the obvious (ex. company name, number) what do you feel is important to include on a flyer or doorhanger. I'm trying to get some ideas to make mine stick out and thought maybe some of you guys had a few ideas. What do you think is important to have on it, or to make yourself stick out from the rest.

Any tips would be a huge help, Thanks in advance

farrellpainting

im new to the biz so i cant give you proven input, but i will soon be having vertical tri fold glossy door hangers made. i had a guy at a local sign shop design my logo for my business, he is an advertiser and im a paint contractor so i pretty much leave it all up to him. he gave me a couple prototypes to choose from, he had his favorite and i agreed with him, i get lots of compliments on his work, logo is professional clean looking and can be read easily even passing at 70mph it really stands out, he actually refered me to a small commercial job that i closed, it really pays to hire a pro as we all know!as far as what i plan on putting in the hanger is, my most impressive before and afters,my truck with my cleanist ladders on it and some equipment , pics of the services that i provide and numbers to references.my thoughts for now anyway.word of mouth is working fine so far along with yard signs,and truck lettering, but im very eager to grow my business i hope these things spark!

just a heads up to ya if you dont know already, putting them in or on mail boxes is a federal offense!

HUDSONVALLEYEXT

just a heads up to ya if you dont know already, putting them in or on mail boxes is a federal offense![/QUOTE]


you can put fliers on mailboxes just not in them. Even if the local post master general has a problem with it he will call you and tell you not do it no more.

We did a few fliers last year when work was real real slow. They seem to only attract really cheap people around here. It does produce some work though

Here is some thing we put on our flier

House pressure starting at $199.99
SAVE* SAVE *SAVE
Save 20% with this flier
Full house painting start at $999.99

We get the best leads from the phonebook even a small ad works in the phonebook. Do a half page and your phone will not stop ringing.

farrellpainting

my father is a letter carrier , the national association of letter carriers (NALC) who i contracted a job for in may, told me to stay away from mailboxes with fliers.they called you and told you not to do it anymore,so why even comment about it then?i plan on dressing well collared 3 button shirt with the company logo and actually ringing the door bell introducing myself with a smile and asking if i could leave a(impressive) flier with them,targeting stay at home moms of course.i think you should sell yourself and quality work, not cheap prices, if you expect to make a profit that you deserve.

im assuming that your fliers attracted cheap customers because you presented your business as cheap sorry if i sound like an *** but save save save 20% discount are going to attract cheap opportunist, and i would never put a low pre-determined starting price to get your foot in the door, your putting a number in the persons head, and as soon as you give them an estimate for what you actually need to do the job they will be immediately dissapointed,seems like your setting yourself up for failure. doesnt leave you much room to sell your bid price by performing high quality work either as you already look like a blow n go company, this isnt driveway sealing.just a little constructive critcism please dont take offense

what do you pay for the phone book in my area its redicuosly expensive 650/month for a 2x3 business card space here and your locked in for the whole year.like 1600 for a full page i guess its worth it if you run a big crew?im a one man show in my first year of business and WOM yard signs, and truck lettering keeps me constantly booked so far.id like to grow alot more though just need to find some quality workers, wich seem to be hard to come by in this trade without profit gouging training for someone who might not even stick around.

John S

I can't belive it's ILLEGAL, maybe the US Postal service should look up north. Canada Post will deliver your "junk" for you at around 3 cents a piece. In our city we also have a guy whose business is just delivering fylers at 25.00 per 1000 (includes the paper and printing). As for putting minimun prices on the flyer I wouldn't as it always disapoints the H/O when it's always over.

On my flyers....
100 Satisfaction Guarenteed
Insured, W.S.I.B. (Workers Comp)
Flexible Payment Plans
Book now and save

Cheers

__________________
John
www.ready4rent.ca

MakDeco

I get flyers stuck to my mail box all the time!

__________________
MAK Deco

farrellpainting

payment plans suck!way more of a hassle than its worth,id stay far away from that!you shouldnt buy something if you dont have the money(except house maybe car),especially someones hard work!if you advertise that youll prolly find that every customer wants to do it, then your up @#$%'s creek with out a paddle when you have to pay your bills and the checks dont come on time or bounce.most people dont like paying for paint jobs or hold painters in high respect!what happens if no checks come cause they put you off to pay other bills most people dont know how to manage money very well and paying a painter is prolly the last bill on their mind.
a single lady on my street that i did a job for in jan, i allowed her some lee way cause she didnt have the $$$ in her acct.its the only job that i have done in 07,well she still cant come up with the money, now I have bill collectors calling me every @#$%&* day, i just dont have the heart to send it to collection on her i have drive by her house every day, and i have another authorized contract for her exterior in the spring!

book now and save looks gimmicky and desperate will also attract the cheap

100% satisfaction and ins/wc are awesome they make you look pro and should bring in paying customers.

good luck

John S

@ferrallpainting

I haven't yet had a problem with the payment plan method, now mind you it is not up to them to chose the plan and payment. If they ask for it I break it down for them. i.e. 250.00 to book me for the job, x number of dollars on job completion (if larger job, x number of dollars at end of first day, and again x at completion, and x at 30 days and x at 60 days. I always make sure the money is there for the overhead and paying my guys, just don't worring about paying myself sometimes,..... I'm sure I WILL get screwed at some point, but try not to worry about it, because A. It collects Intrest,. B. Lien will be filed,. C. If it takes to long to collect it's a tax-write-off. I find with my target market they like the payment method.

Good for one may-not be good for another

Cheers

__________________
John
www.ready4rent.ca

1KingOfDrywall

It depends who you are trying to attract....home builders or home owners.
No matter what anyone says PRICE is 80% of the game
secondly is a credential that the work is done legitimate
third is speed they love INSTANT SERVICE
....see.....customers have no clue what quality is. They can't see what we see (not even remotely). So saying how your work better than joe blows is not effective at all. As far as a customer is concerned there is only 1 right way and 1 wrong way. If they can confirm that you do it right and cheap......you win.
Look up.... Ohio Drywall king or google my number 330-330-1102 on the internet.....my stuff may seem cheesy, but trust me, marketing is my game. I fax, I cold call, and I mass email builders and remodelers with such ads. I rarely lose a bid. I am "Ohio's Lowest Priced Drywaller"....at least thats what I here....lol Good Luck and God Bless Ya.

farrellpainting

john s

thats how i do it to % upront, progress %'s if its a long job,and settle up the balance at the end.i thought he was talking about doing a job and taking monthly installments over a period of time.ive tried that and it sucks!for the reasons i mentioned above and once you finish the physical work and your stiil waiting for$$$$ it feels like the job still isnt done and is always in the back of your head!if i dont get the balance takin care of the day i pack up and leave it will drive me nuts!

dryking

selling drywall and custom paint resto's are an alltogether different beast,i should have stated that i only do exterior paints/cleaning,and most of them are awesome historic's,not saying drywall doesnt require alot of skill/exp but like you said hangin sheet is either done right or wrong in the custo's eyes, ensuring someone that you are the best company to restore their 100
+ yro exterior is different,it requires more time talking/explaining to the custo than just giving them the lowest bid, this is why i perfer the pro look and push quality. to each his own though!

zico

Heres to the True North and Free! In Canada there are older neighbourhoods (pre-1980) where there is home mail delivery. These areas are hard to penetrate with flyers. Most of Canada Post's unaddressed mail service seems to fail to get you the one-on-one conversation with your customer. The new areas, post 1980, have to go out and get their mail from the supe-mailboxes. In these areas there may even be rejoicing when "mail" appears in the home's mailbox. People in these neighbourhoods install home mailboxes for my flyers (and the Mounties don't care).

I stay away from the "save, save, save" pitch. I try to follow thru with the same marketing I always use: the best in finishes, fully insured, WSIB(workers comp), colour consulting. I also mention value add services such as carpentry services, flooring installs, etc... People like the one stop approach to home renos.

Flyers are also excellent branding mediums. Work seems to wander in thru the phone or email, 5 to 6 months after an area has been canvassed with flyers. The interesting thing, is it is not from the streets that received the flyers but from streets 2 or 3 streets removed!

__________________
Halton Peel Painters
GTA Painters
...there's still fight in this dog